Better Safe Than Zari
by MrJamesileee
Summary: Zari isn't stupid. Quite the opposite, in fact. But she would rather play dumb for the rest of her life than admit how she feels about Charlie. It's getting annoying to the rest of the Waverider members. Even to Charlie (not that she'd admit it). AKA stubborn chicks waste time.
1. Chapter 1

Better Safe Than Zari

Zari sat in quiet contemplation, stirring her granola mindlessly as she stared off into space for an indefinite amount of time. The life of the Waverider buzzed around her, each team member enjoying the down time in their own way.

Sara and Ava were canoodling on the couch (not a word that either woman would EVER use, but the only accurate term for it), holding hands and stealing smiles, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible to no avail. Their love could always be felt the whole was through the timeship.

Ray was standing at the bridge, messing with the controls with an expression on his face that screamed that he had some big idea brewing.

Constantine was drinking in the library (at least, Zari _assumed_ that he was drinking in the library, as usual).

Charlie was air-drumming around the galley and down the halls to a song that only she could hear. No matter the year or what body she was stuck in, she would always be a punk rock god in her own mind.

Mick was—

"How's that working out for ya?"

His gruff voice startled the spoon right out of Zari's hand, causing it to clank into the bowl noisily and break the comfortable quiet around them.

"Jesus!" Zari exclaimed, holding her hand to her chest instinctively. She had no idea that Mick had even approached the galley, let alone was near enough to speak to her.

Mick grunted an almost apology before grabbing a beer from the fabricator. He re-approached the counter seeming like he wanted to say something. That was never good, Zari thought. Mick wasn't much for small talk.

"What?!" Zari snapped, perhaps to harshly, noticing him staring at her face in waiting.

"I SAID," he began, annoyed, "how's that working out for you?" he rasped with a tone of 'duh'.

"How's _what_ working out?" Zari spat, completely lost by the question.

"Not-Amaya," he clarified soundly, nodding toward Charlie, using the term that he nearly always did for the shapeshifter.

"Why do you always call her that?" Zari asked, sounding more defensive than she would have liked before her brain could analyse her reaction.

"Because she's not Amaya," he said very clearly.

"I know she's not Amaya. But you don't have to call her that. She has a name," she said a bit too passionately, stirring her (now soggy) granola with a new fervor.

"Do you _wish_ she was Amaya?" he asked suddenly, shocking her.

"No! What kind of question is that?!" Zari's blood pressure was rising unpleasantly and she was more than ready for this very impromptu conversation to be over.

"You don't look at her like she's Amaya," Mick noted, swigging his beer and watching Zari subconsciously watch _her._ "Anymore," he added smugly.

"Because she's not Amaya !" Zari practically yelled, gaining the attention of Sara, who just looked at her questioningly.

"Hence the name," Mick nodded.

"Why…" Zari took a deep breath and contemplated her words before gaining even more attention from the others. "Why are we having this conversation, Rory?" she asked calmly, rubbing her suddenly aching temples.

"I had an idea for a new story," he admitted, watching Charlie dance past them, completely unaware of their presence.

"What does that have to do with Charlie?" Zari asked, ignoring the feeling that she got in her chest as the woman's name slipped from her lips.

"I'll let you know when you figure it out," Mick smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

Mick's words, though few and vague (as usual), had stuck with Zari for the remainder of the day. Even longer, if she was being honest. ( _If_ she was being honest, she was on day three).

She distracted herself with mundane tasks, reading and doing chores. They had only had one simple mission (during which she had kept as much distance from the shapeshifter clogging her mind as possible) and now they were back to down time. Down time where they had dinners and played games and took turns with chores. Down time when it was _very_ difficult for Zari to separate herself from the other members of the team.

So she turned to video games. If unproductive, they at least created a world where she could block out her own, however briefly. Well, she thought she could. One can only be slaughtered by the same CG zombie eight times before realizing that something is amiss. Zari's head wasn't in the game and that fact was becoming more and more apparent with each loss.

What had Mick meant by his sly little comments? Why would he even bother to broach the subject with her? New story material, sure, but there had to be more to it. What made him think he had any right to even attempt that conversation with Zari? Exactly what was he seeing that she had been working so hard to conceal?

The zombie smashed her character with a hammer for the ninth time and Zari had had enough.

"Fuck!" she screamed, tossing her controller to the ground, hard. She'd regret it later but right now she was too overwhelmed to care.

"And you think _I'm_ violent!" an unmistakable voice smirked from Zari's doorway, startling her.

Zari turned to her quickly, eyes still emitting irritation. How long had she been standing there, arms crossed and confident, Zari wondered.

"What?" Zari asked, brow furrowed and trying like hell to seem unfazed.

"You think _I'm_ violent. You're in here throwing shit because of a video game," Charlie grinned, making her way into the room (uninvited but not unwelcome).

"What makes you say I think you're violent?" Zari had to ask, more care in her tone than she'd hoped for.

"You think I don't hear you lot talking trash 'round the ship?" Charlie asked, eyebrow raised in a way challenging Zari to dispute it. She perched on the couch next to Zari but didn't let herself get comfortable. "You say I'm a fugitive, I'm a monster. No?" she questioned, knowing Zari couldn't argue.

Zari hated the feeling (was that guilt?) bubbling up inside her.

"I don't think—" Zari stopped herself, contemplating her words too closely. Was she hoping for Charlie to prove her right or to prove her wrong? Too much passion in the statement either way would be telling. "You've never given me a reason to think that you're violent," she decided. Simple. Factual. Not emotional.

"It's implied, love. The way you avoid me during missions, like I might get you hurt. Hell, you even avoid me around the ship. It's clear that you don't trust me, whether you've said the words aloud or not," Charlie stated, sinking into herself and scooting to the edge of the couch, ready to make her exit.

Zari watched Charlie falter, saw the sincerity in her words and her fears, and crumbled, heart heavy. Her avoidance of the shapeshifter was more apparent than she'd wanted, but it was being seen for the wrong reasons. Evidently her attraction to the woman was just as poorly hidden, if her conversation with Mick was any indicator.

Zari took a deep breath and shifted away from Charlie. If she thought she was avoiding her because she didn't trust her, so be it. That was much safer than allowing her to know why she was _actually_ avoiding her. Getting too close, getting close at all, would only make Zari fall farther.

Charlie was violent. Charlie was irrational and dangerous. Charlie couldn't be trusted.

Zari would repeat it over and over and pray that someday she actually believed it.

Charlie stood from the couch just as casually as she had plopped onto it, Zari's silence enough confirmation for her. She strode toward the door without even looking back.

"That's what I thought," she said as she exited the room.

The pain that Zari heard from Charlie's normally playful voice only made her pray harder.


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright team, we have a vampire sighting in 1984 Los Angeles. Description is white male, though some history suggests vampires can shape shift," Sara couldn't keep her eyes from flashing to Charlie, "so we don't know exactly who we're looking for. Myself, Ava and Ray will follow the location and track him- if we can find him. Mick, Constantine, Charlie- you get in with the locals. See what you can find out without being obvious about what you're looking for," she dismissed with a nod, turning away from the bridge.

"What about me?" Zari asked, confused.

"Z, you're gonna man the ship on this one. Be our intel. Let us know what we're looking for and where we're looking," Sara explained, only a hint of guilt in her voice.

"But I _love_ vampires!" she almost whined, immediately hating her tone. "Don't bench me on this one."

"I know you love vampires. That's part of the reason you're staying behind. I think you'd be better here with the controls than you would if we actually find a vampire we have to fight," Sara reasoned.

"Sara, no offense but I have more knowledge about vampires than the rest of you put together. And that's not cocky, it's just true. I think I could do a lot more good out on the mission than I could sitting here watching," Zari said, exasperated and disappointed.

"She can go in my place," Charlie said suddenly, much more quietly than normal. All of the team members turned to her, surprised, and she became nervous. "I mean, vampires were never my thing anyway. I couldn't tell you shit about them. Z knows what to expect from them. I think she should go," she concluded, looking at her boots instead of the team.

"Sorry, Charlie, but you can't man the ship. Someday, sure. But for right now you'll be better off on the mission with us and Zari will be better off here," Sara decided, sending an apologetic look in Zari's direction.

If Zari looked to Charlie, made eye contact in a way saying, 'thank you for trying,' she pretended to regret it.

"Sara—" Zari called after her captain as the team made their way to the fabricator. "What did I do? Why aren't I going on this mission with you?" she asked, more sadness and less anger in her voice than she intended.

"Listen, Zari. I'm sorry that I did this to you. To be honest, you've been off your game lately. I know that you love vampires and if you seemed like yourself, you'd be the first one I'd want on my team. Right now, you're not. I think it's safest for everyone if you sit this one out," Sara explained, genuinely apologetic, resting a hand on Zari's forearm. "I don't know what's going on with you and you know I don't push, but know I'm here if you need to sort anything out, okay?"

Zari rolled her eyes and blew her hair out of her face, turning from her captain without another word. Sara should have known her well enough to know that no matter what she was going through, she wouldn't falter and allow any of the team to get hurt. She suddenly felt like she wasn't trusted. Of course that made her think about Charlie, and how she was making the woman feel the exact same way. The burn of stomach acid made her shake her head, hating the guilt that she couldn't seem to ignore.

Zari went to the controls and got to work. Better to be distracted if she wasn't in for the fight. The longer that she worked, the more she feared that Sara was right (Sara was almost always right, though Zari wouldn't admit that freely). She thought back to her video game, when she knew what she was doing and could master nearly every level, though she couldn't seem to these days. What if she had gone out on a mission and got distracted? What if she got someone hurt or even killed because she couldn't shake the fog from her mind? She hated the thought, angry with herself for allowing such weakness.

Zari's eyes lit up as she saw a male figure, dressed all in black, approaching the bar where Mick, John and Charlie were gathering information. He fit the description for sure, but as Sara said they couldn't be certain about who they were looking for.

"Incoming. White male, fits the description, heading into the bar," Zari said over the comms, holding back the thought of hoping to hear Charlie's voice respond.

"Something feels off, love," Constantine said, looking around the bar as he watched the suspect approach.

"That's what we're here for," Sara responded, walking into the bar discreetly behind the man.

"Not like that," John clarified. "I don't feel any magic around here. I don't feel anything from _him."_

"Maybe he's not our guy," Sara said into the comm, taking Ava's hand and laughing as though she was just there for a drink. "Z, anyone else seem promising?" she asked.

"I think that's him, guys. I can't get much of a feeling since I'm not there with you" she couldn't help but throw in, "but he's what Gideon is pointing us toward."

"Maybe he's a fake," Charlie said into the comm suddenly, surprising them all. Even Mick looked up from his beer to scowl at her.

"A fake vampire?" Mick scoffed, wondering what the hell she meant despite his lack of passion about the mission.

"Yeah. When the goth thing started, some young fucks thought it'd be fun to pretend to be vamps. Get a rise out of people. Some even bit people or cut them, just for fun," Charlie explained. "Seems about the right time for that," she shrugged, downing her whisky.

"If he's a fake why would he show up on our radar?" Zari asked, suddenly fearful and not understanding why.

"He could still be out of place, love. Or out of time. Sometimes the creature isn't magical at all, but it's still dangerous," Charlie explained. Zari couldn't help but wonder if she was making a point about herself.

"So how do we figure out if he's a fake?" Zari couldn't help but ask. She kind of wished the team would just abort the mission and come home.

"Well looks like I'm goin' to get another drink," Charlie nodded to herself, ignoring Sara's questioning glare from across the room.

Charlie saddled up at the bar right next to the gentleman in question: white male, light skin, appearing to be in his early twenties (though with vampires you could never really tell). She put on her infamous smirk and asked for another glass of whisky. Of course she caught his attention.

"You're not from around here, are you?" he asked, small smile on his face though his brow remained furrowed and distant.

"What gave it away, love? The accent or my sense of style?" she flirted, smirking as she took a drink of her whisky.

"Out hunting, are you?" he asked gruffly, the look in his eyes changing, making him seem even darker somehow.

"Mmm, is that what the kids are calling it these days?" she joked, still thinking they were flirting enough for her to get some information from him.

He was behind her in a second, one hand clasped hard around her jaw, the other holding a knife to her throat. She gasped naturally, having never felt such pain as a mortal. Charlie watched Mick draw his weapon, aiming it at the man. She couldn't help but think that it was too late.

Sara stood, ready for a fight (or at least to defend the newest member of her team.)

Constantine rushed them, incantation already singing from his lips. As the 'vampire' took notice of the scene he attempted to rush away, shoving Charlie from his grasp but not before slicing one line across her neck and another down her bicep, throwing her to the ground as he ran.

"What's happening?!" Zari yelled, hearing the scuffle over the comms with no response.

Mick shot his flame at the vampire one second too late. The man was already out the door, though Constantine attempted to chase him. Sara rushed to Charlie's side, holding her shirt to the bleeding gash on the shape-shifter's neck. Charlie's eyes were wide, full of fear and pain. Something Sara had never seen from the woman in their time together.

"It's okay," Sara attempted weakly, completely at a loss for words. "Zari, tell Gideon to get the med bay ready _now_. We'll be there soon."

"What happened?!" Zari practically screamed. "Is she okay?!" she knew it was Charlie. She didn't know how, but she knew. She just needed some confirmation that it was minor. She needed to hear the shape-shifter's voice. She didn't get that.

"Just tell Gideon to have the med bay ready," Sara said softly, only causing Zari's heart to pound harder.


	4. Chapter 4

_(this one is longer than i anticipated but it kind of ran with me. let me know what you all think. trigger warning for needles and/or pain appreciation. i hope you like it.)_

Zari yelled for Gideon to prepare the med bay with a fear and desperation in her voice that surprised her. Nearly as soon as the scream left her, she was tapping the button that she knew shouldn't be on her wrist. Within a second there was a portal before her, showing her a street from a different time and the front entrance of a seedy-looking pub.

She was in the door before she realised, watching as Mick scooped up the person that made her feel desperate and dramatic enough to act in such a way, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Zari rushed to their side, seeing a piece of Sara's now torn up shirt pressed to Charlie's bleeding throat.

"Zari, how did—" Sara began, only to be abruptly interrupted, watching as Zari's eyes never left Charlie's terrified ones.

"What happened?!" Zari demanded, following closely as Mick carried Charlie outside.

"Don't think the vampire was actually a vampire," Mick rasped with more emotion in his voice than Zari would have liked; it made this all too real.

"She was trying to get intel. None of us knew he was on to us," Sara said sadly as they gathered onto the jump ship, Mick lying Charlie delicately onto the bench. "He had a knife to her throat so fast, none of us were prepared," she explained.

"She'll be okay, Z," Ava said softly, suddenly at Zari's side. Ava had never called her 'Z', to Zari's recollection, and it only made her feel more fearful despite its intent.

In her subconscious, Zari thought that she could hear Constantine chanting. She was too busy ripping her own shirt in order to hold a piece of the fabric against the deep gash on Charlie's bicep to fully register the sound. She noticed that Sara and Ava had backed away from them, she thought in their own way giving them some space.

"Constantine rushed them after he had the knife to her throat. I think the fugitive got scared because he cut her on the neck and then the arm before he threw her to the ground," Sara concluded as Ray flew the ship. "We couldn't catch him."

Charlie blinked her eyes weakly, looking up to see Zari staring at her with tears behind hers. She smirked slightly, despite how she was feeling. Her cockiness had a way of coming out around Zari no matter what the circumstances.

"Geez, Z. What's got your panties in a bunch?" Charlie joked to the best of her ability, her voice sounding weak and strained and alerting Zari to just how much pain she was in.

"Let me see your neck," Zari demanded, not acknowledging her attempt at light-heartedness even though it warmed.

"'S'alright, love. Jonno's workin' his magic over there," Charlie nodded, smiling slightly through lidded, pain-filled eyes.

It was only then that Zari understood: a healing spell. Probably the only reason that Charlie wasn't dead already, but that wasn't something that Zari could focus on right now. She removed the piece of Sara's shirt that was held tightly to Charlie's throat and couldn't hold in the gasp she emitted. If the deep wound looked like this _after_ John began his healing spell, she couldn't imagine how bad it was to begin with. She didn't want to.

"Is it working?!" Zari practically screamed at Constantine, who was still chanting, eyes closed.

"It's working, love," Charlie said softly, her blood-drenched hand patting Zari's thigh comfortingly. "Not makin' me feel much better, to be honest," she admitted, quietly enough that only Zari could hear.

Zari felt like she had been hit by a brick at the realisation. Charlie had been an immortal shapeshifter. She had never felt pain like this before in her life, if she had ever felt pain at all. The wounds were deep, no matter who you were, but to someone to had never felt pain they must have been excruciating. She held her hand onto Charlie's bicep, making sure to keep pressure on the wound, looking at the woman wildly.

"It's not enough," John said suddenly, causing Zari's heart to drop. "It's working, she'll survive, but I don't have enough power to heal them both."

"So don't heal them both!" Zari said as though John was an idiot. "Heal her throat. We can fix her arm later."

"Looks like you're gonna have to stitch me up, Doc," Charlie said slowly, sticking her tongue out though she seemed to be on the edge of consciousness.

"Ha!" Zari scoffed, fighting the urge to push Charlie playfully as she would in a less dire situation.

"It might not be a bad idea," Ray added hesitantly. "Time's not really working in our favour right now. We'll be back to the Waverider as soon as possible," he shrugged sheepishly, staring at the course ahead of them.

Constantine continued to chant as Zari watched Charlie's pulse point begin to slow down it's rhythm. She considered it a good thing, as her heart had been racing from fear and pain. Her gaze made it's way to Charlie's face only to find the woman looking up into her eyes, her vulnerability palpable and unexpected.

"Hey," Zari said softly, not fighting the urge that she felt to reach up and brush the hair away from the shapeshifter's face.

"Hey yourself," Charlie smirked, throwing a wink in for good measure, causing Zari to relax slightly.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I got my arm and my throat slit, t'be honest," Charlie shrugged, wincing. "I'd never felt that before."

"You'll never feel it again," Zari threw out defensively before she could stop herself.

"That'd be good," Charlie chuckled softly, wincing in pain once again.

Zari removed her shirt from Charlie's arm to find the wound still gushing blood. She tried to hide the fear from her eyes, knowing that Charlie was still staring at her face.

"Ray? How long?" Zari asked, keeping her voice as even as she could manage.

"I don't know, Z. I'm trying. The first aid kit is—"

"I know," Zari snapped at him, looking to Charlie to find her eyes held fear once again. "You keep this," she picked up Charlie's hand and placed it on her bicep, keeping pressure, "here, and I'll be right back."

Charlie simply nodded, feeling a little more life coming to her as John worked his magic but still hurt and afraid. Hurt and afraid were two things that the shapeshifter was not accustomed to.

Zari was back at Charlie's side in less the thirty-three seconds (Charlie knew- she had been counting) with the elaborate first aid kit in tow. She opened it with one hand as she brushed Charlie's wild hair back with the other, a reflex at this point.

"Do I need surgery, Doc?" Charlie joked, life slowly coming back into her eyes. "Am I gonna make it?"

"Do you understand how not funny that is?" Zari responded, rolling her eyes as she threaded her stitch needle.

"Is that a threat?" Charlie joked again, but the look of nervousness as she eyed the needle didn't go unnoticed by Zari.

"Have you ever gotten stitches before?" Zari asked, regretting the question immediately as the words left her mouth. Of course she had never gotten stitches before. She had been immortal and self-healing until a few months ago. She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity.

"Naw, love. But I'm glad if my first time is with you," Charlie smirked, the spark back in her eyes. The spark Zari loved, no matter how much she hated it.

This time, Zari didn't hold back her instinct to smack the woman (right on the hip, harder than she'd intended) because she couldn't seem to be serious when she had just been _dying_.

"You're an idiot," Zari threw out casually, unable to keep the smile from her face. "Sit up," she demanded.

"Bossy, eh? I like that," Charlie smiled, winking over her shoulder as she sat up, baring her cut up arm for Zari.

"Listen…" Zari began slowly, already a nervous mess. "This is going to hurt but I'm only going to put a few stitches in. Just enough to hold it over until we get back to the med bay. Okay?"

"I trust you."

Charlie's words were spoken so genuinely, no joking, no flirtation, that it took Zari off guard. They stared into each other's eyes too deeply for a moment too long and Zari tried to ignore the way she felt her heart speed up in her chest.

"I wouldn't do this if I didn't have to," Zari said, sounding like she was defending herself.

"You _do_ know what you're doing, right love?" Charlie asked, silly tone back in it's place.

Zari thought back to her life, her life before the legends. She thought about war and encampment and all of the times that she had to do this. She sighed deeply, pain expressing itself on her face. Charlie realised what she was remembering but knew not to mention it.

"You don't have to do this, Z," Charlie told her, reaching over and brushing Zari's hair out of her eyes. "I'll be fine."

Zari smiled with closed eyes, loving and hating the fact that stupid Charlie could take her from her stupid painful memories to making her smile in two point three seconds. She opened her eyes slowly to find Charlie looking at her so lovingly that it almost hurt. Almost.

"Naw, I got this," Zari nodded with a grin that she attempted to quell. "If you're ready."

Charlie simply nodded, fear lingering behind her eyes.

"Like I said, it's gonna hurt but I won't take long, I promise. And it'll feel so much better once it can heal," Zari explained, ignoring the way her hand shook as she made sure the needle was threaded correctly.

"Like I said," Charlie said soundly, "I _trust_ you."

Zari's heart soared at the affirmation and at the look in Charlie's eyes. She turned the woman away from her slightly, to reach the wound on the back of her bicep. She watched as Charlie breathed in and out deeply, obviously preparing herself.

"Ready?" Zari whispered, more closely to Charlie's ear than she had anticipated.

Charlie just nodded, hand holding the edge of the bench in anticipation. Zari took a deep breath and took a hold of Charlie's arm; firmly enough to keep it in her grasp but not hard enough to hurt, she hoped. She entered the needle slowly, making sure to do it right, with more anxiety than she had ever had about stitching someone up before.

Charlie emitted a gasp, hand grasping the edge of the jump ship bench as she breathed out, head lowering. Zari couldn't help the pang of guilt that she felt for having to put her through this.

The needle made it's way through and Zari tightened the thread, unable to keep herself from watching every expression that the shapeshifter made. She entered the needle the second time and watched as Charlie's hand reached for purchase again, feeling a pull in her abdomen and maybe something else that she simply wished away. As she pulled the thread through the skin, she heard Charlie breathe out deeply, passionately, and she would have done anything not to feel the pull that it caused inside her.

"Only a couple more," Zari whispered, surprised at how her voice came out deep and arousal laden, wishing that she could run away.

Charlie just nodded again, this time making a point to reach behind her and hold onto Zari's shirt, recently ripped up from protecting this wound.

Zari had to take a deep breath and center herself. Okay, sure, she had a crush. By this point she could admit that (reluctantly). But this was not the time to be having sexy feelings and physiological reactions. She tried to shake herself out of it but Charlie's reactions were only fueling her.

Zari entered the needle again, a little more quickly this time as though to prove that this was simply professional. It didn't work. Charlie balled up her ruined shirt in her hand and breathed aloud, unable to hide her own passion in the moment. That was it. Zari tied off the knot quickly and with skill and pulled away from Charlie.

"That's enough until we get home," Zari spat, mind reeling with guilt and trying to shake the arousal from her fogged brain. "Gideon can take care of the rest."

They had been too caught up in each other and in the strange surge of emotion between them to notice Mick watching them; not with perversion or even lust. This was research material he had never dreamed of.


	5. Chapter 5

_hello humans. i would really love some feedback on this piece because i feel like something is off and i can't decide what it is. please help me with your input. constructive criticism is always appreciated._

The med bay had been prepared as Gideon promised (though the only time the med bay _wasn't_ prepared was when either John or Charlie were lying on a bed, drinking) as the crew filed back onto the Waverider. Charlie was slowly walking now, held up with one half against Zari's side and the other against Mick's, the wound in her neck healed enough to bring some strength back to her.

John was looking worse for wear, having expended so much energy on saving the shapeshifter that he hadn't held on to enough for himself. Zari wondered for a moment if Gideon would have to heal them both. She found it sickeningly ironic and evidently emitted a scoff.

"You think this is funny, love?" Charlie asked with a smirk as they helped her onto one of the med bay beds.

"I think you know how much I don't find this funny," Zari said too seriously, looking into Charlie's eyes for a mere moment but expressing her seriousness with just the glance.

"I think you should tell me anyway," Charlie smirked, earning an uncomfortable sounding grunt from Mick and an eye roll from Zari.

"Excellent work, Miss Tomaz," Gideon stated suddenly, tearing Zari's gaze away from _that_ look in Charlie's eyes and leaving her wondering what the AI meant.

"Excuse me?" Zari couldn't help but ask aloud, confused and still startled as Charlie chuckled in the bed next to her.

"Three well-executed sutures," Gideon confirmed, causing a relieved breath to leave Zari's lungs. "Enough to get Miss Charlie back to the ship without fatal blood loss," she added.

"How'd she know it was you, love?" Charlie asked quietly.

The rest of the team had backed off, essentially leaving them alone again and causing Zari to wonder why. To _wish_ that she wondered why.

"I'm an AI, Miss Charlie," Gideon answered soundly before Zari had a chance to speak.

It didn't take long before Charlie could feel the healing energy running through her, now mortal, veins. The feeling was obviously not something she had ever experienced before, in any life. She could see her pulse pounding everywhere she looked and for a moment actually feared for the safety of her no longer regenerative body. The concern was not lost on Zari, who was staring at Charlie's face as she took it all in.

"You're okay," Zari said, more lovingly than she intended, drawing Charlie's eyes away from her veins and back up into her eyes. "She knows what she's doing," she promised, resisting the urge to rest her hand onto Charlie's arm.

"Thank you, Miss Tomaz," Gideon said, startling them from the sky once again.

"Gideon…" Zari said strongly with a warning tone.

Silence.

"If she can't see us, how did she know that you looked like you were about to fight her?" Charlie actually whispered, looking to the ceiling skeptically although she felt almost well again.

"She knows I'm the only person on the team that could actually destroy her," Zari smirked, her voice in a whisper as well, though she had no conscious plan of that.

"How's ol' Jonno?" Charlie asked, watching as he wavered behind them, sipping from a bottle but looking incredibly weak.

"I'll be fine, pet. I'm just glad that you are," he nodded, holding up his bottle in acknowledgment.

"Thank you, John," Zari said sincerely, turning to the man before she could even think about it. Her eyes widened at her sudden gratitude and she became embarrassed.

As she was looking at John (and wishing that she could disappear- it's not like Charlie was _hers_ or anything, that she should be thanking the warlock) a soft hand wrapped around her own. Charlie's hand was warm again, only relieving Zari more as she turned to look at the woman.

Charlie was staring at Zari's face so closely, so affectionately, that it made her want to bolt. Make up some excuse about the control room, anything. But she was locked there, staring back into Charlie's eyes. John silently made his way out of the med bay upon seeing the exchange.

"I didn't mean that," Zari spat awkwardly, looking down to where Charlie's hand was still sitting atop her own.

"You didn't mean you were happy he saved my life, Z?" Charlie asked, but her smirk was audible.

"No. I didn't- I mean, _of course_ I'm happy he saved you," Zari stuttered out and rolled her eyes, deciding she had never felt this uncomfortable in her life. "I didn't mean to thank him," she admitted, realising that might sound even worse. She wasn't winning this conversation no matter what she said now.

Charlie chuckled, causing Zari's gaze to make it's way back to her, reluctantly. She was grinning beautifully, obviously sensing Zari's discomfort and finding it amusing. She squeezed Zari's hand lightly.

"You thanked him before I even got to, Z," she commented, challenging Zari in her own way.

"That's what I meant," Zari lied, stone-faced.

"Okay…" Charlie rolled her eyes. "I'm beat, love. I guess getting cut up and magically healed really takes it outta ya," she said, closing her eyes unwillingly.

"It's part of Gideon's healing. You need your rest to get better," Zari told her. "I'm gonna go… get a snack or something. Get some sleep, okay?" she asked, looking at Charlie's peaceful face with a warmth in her heart that terrified her.

As Zari pulled her hand from Charlie's, Charlie held on tightly, not allowing her to escape so quickly. Zari looked to Charlie's face to see the woman's eyes half opened, smiling at her.

"You look like you could use a nap too, love," Charlie smiled sleepily. "Maybe after your snack you'll come back here?" she asked, hopefully, almost shyly, causing Zari's heart to beat at an unhealthy speed.

Zari stood from the chair and fully pulled her hand way, unable to keep the smile from her face.

"Maybe."


	6. Chapter 6

_just a short one-scene chapter for writing flow purposes. let me know what you think. there will probably another update tonight. thanks._

Zari made her way into the kitchen to find Sara already there, comfortably sipping something that appeared non-alcoholic. She smiled at Zari softly as the woman made her way toward the fabricator.

"Getting a snack for Charlie?" Sara asked innocently, sipping her beverage and leaning back in her chair.

"Charlie?! Why would I be getting a snack for Charlie?!" Zari snapped so defensively that Sara actually burst out laughing.

"Oh, I don't know… Maybe because she was just _dying_ and healing might make you a little hungry," Sara chuckled, shaking her head at her friend.

"Oh…" Zari nodded, embarrassed by her outburst.

' _Shit,' Zari thought. She didn't even think to ask Charlie if she wanted anything._

"I'll get her some cake," Zari shrugged casually, sitting next to Sara.

"Okay," Sara chuckled. "So, Z…" she began, obviously hesitant. "Is there anything you want to talk to me about? Maybe something you need you admit to me?"

Zari was so startled that she swallowed her cereal wrong, causing a fit of coughs around the marshmallows. She shook herself out of it and looked to Sara, terrified, already feeling the blush creeping up her skin. That was it. It was all over now.

"No, Sara. What do you mean?" she lied in a voice so robotic that Sara smirked.

"No? Nothing you wanted to 'fess up to?" Sara, tilted her head to the side and looked right into Zari's nervous eyes.

Zari just shook her head sheepishly, her eyes pleading with Sara silently to leave it alone. She watched as Sara looked at her, disbelieving, before her captain's eyes glanced down at Zari's left wrist, where the stolen time courier (that she had forgotten to take off) sat proudly and obviously.

Zari sighed heavily, a wave of relief washing over her at the realization that _that_ was all Sara was talking about. She got embarrassed and chuckled nervously.

"Oh…" Zari squeaked out. " _That._ "

"Oh Zari," Sara laughed, rolling her eyes at her friend. "Forgot you had it on, didn't you?"

Zari nodded slowly.

"When you walked into the bar in 1984, I knew it. There was too much going on at the time for me to call you out. But now that everyone is safe and sound…" she added a bit too pointedly.

"I'm sorry," Zari told her, reaching to take off the time courier. "I just- I knew that Ava had given you one, and then I assumed she thought you lost it and gave you a replacement, because you each had yours and I found this one in the library…"

"Found?" Sara asked skeptically.

"Well… saw where you put yours when you took it off… And I thought, if there's a spare just _lying_ around the ship, it could be useful, you know?" Zari rambled, feeling like a little kid who just got caught with a cookie. "I wasn't going to use it for personal gain, I swear. I just- when you called to have Gideon to prep the med bay I just panicked. And it was like I knew…"

"That it was Charlie?" Sara asked seriously, causing Zari's eyes to widen in panic once again.

This time, Zari could only nod.

"I understood why you used it, Z, but it wasn't yours to take," Sara said slowly, not wanting to upset her friend but also needing to be the captain. "I think you're right. If it's going to be on the ship anyway, it should be utilized. I think that we should lock it up somewhere here, let the team know where it is, so that whomever is left to man the ship has access to it _only_ if they need it," she nodded soundly.

"I think that's a great idea," Zari smiled, proud to have such a great boss and friend.

"Okay then," Sara smiled, taking the courier and putting it in her pocket (which she realised probably wasn't the best idea, since that's how she thought she lost hers last time). "I'm heading back to the bridge, see what I can see of our vampire faker," she said, resting a hand on Zari's shoulder affectionately.

Zari smiled as Sara began to walk away, but the captain stopped mid step and turned back to her friend.

"Hey Z?" Sara asked, looking sincere.

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget Charlie's cake," she smirked, shooting an unsettling wink for good measure.

 _Shit._


End file.
